On Reunion Island 400 volunteers work at grass-roots level in the sections and teams spread over the whole island (Saint-Denis, Le Tampon, Saint-Benoît, Saint-Paul, Saint-Pierre, Saint-Louis, Saint-Gilles, Plaine des Palmistes, etc.). The territorial delegation of Reunion is tasked with coordinating the activities they implement..

Emergencies and first aid

A national leader in aid work, the French Red Cross in Reunion brings together more than sixty aid workers who man fifty first aid stations per year at various events (sport tournaments, marathons, concerts, etc) and who intervene in response to emergencies (cyclones, flooding, etc.). Training courses ranging from Civil Prevention and Rescue Level 1 (PSC1) to instructor training are organised in the island’s six sections throughout the year for the general public and the association’s volunteers.

Social welfare

The French Red Cross would like to combat social exclusion using a comprehensive approach: from actions aimed at the most socially excluded to prevention work with vulnerable population groups, volunteers endeavour to reintegrate the neediest using social rehabilitation and independence. In this context the sections conduct SAMU social emergency service outreach patrols with the aim of recreating social links and orientating the homeless to shelters and support structures.

At each section social reception is available with the aim of referring people to suitable social services. In addition volunteers offer food aid to vulnerable individuals, oriented by social workers. The delegation thus has six food distribution points across the island. At the six vestiboutique shops, open to all, you can find clothing and social diversity.

The French Red Cross, a member of Reunion’s Food Aid Network (2R2A), also manages two food aid platforms that operate as storage and redistribution centres for the various food aid distribution points. For the association providing access to hygiene and healthcare is an essential way of combating social exclusion. That’s why at Le Tampon, in the island’s south, the delegation has created a ‘hygiene access point’ for those who are most deprived, consisting of toilets, showers and laundry facilities. This hygiene point regularly welcomes Health Service Access Points (PASS) teams who offer free consultations to those referred to them.

‘Prison-justice’ actions are one of the association’s long-standing missions, and the French Red Cross is active at the prison of Saint-Denis where it operates ‘cellmate support’, to encourage listening and identifying detainees who are suffering psychologically. Lastly, throughout the year it works with inmates’ relatives at Saint-Pierre, welcoming families who are waiting for prison visits.

International work and disaster preparedness

Many of the delegation’s volunteers are involved in the Indian Ocean Regional Intervention Platform (PIROI) as facilitators for the natural disaster risk awareness programme ‘Paré pas Paré’ (‘Ready or not’) as logistics volunteers and/or water/sanitation specialists.

The French Red Cross is also a major actor of the social and solidarity economy. As such it is the leading private institution in the health and social care sector. In Réunion, the French Red Cross has a staff of approximately 260 employees (nurses, special education teachers, administrative staff, etc.) who work in health, social, medical-social and training institutions including: a home nursing service (SSIAD), a nursing home for the dependent elderly (EHPAD), an Alzheimer day care centre (AJA), a children’s care home (MECS), a community crèche, a vocational training centre (CDFP) and a guardianship service.

Contact information

Address :Croix-Rouge française
Délégation territoriale
40 D, rue du Bois de Nèfles
97400 SAINT-DENIS
Phone  : + 262 262 90 96 60
Fax  : +262 262 90 96 61
E-mail : dt.reunion@croix-rouge.fr

Délégation Territoriale de La Réunion

Croix-Rouge de La Réunion